City Hangout – Cotea, Shakarpur
Cool point. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The noon’s hot white light is entwined with the dust-laden air. The traffic on the main road is stubbornly stationary, and yet it remains a noisy anarchy. Such are the joys…
City Hangout – Spring-Time Subz Burj, Mathura Road
A panorama of colours. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Holi has arrived in advance, heralded in a dream potion of red, green, and two strains of blue. The sheeny shades are so charged with lustiness that you fear…
City Hangout – Amour de Café, Chitli Qabar
New in old. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Spitting, swearing, feet-shuffling—Oh là là! The market lane is quivering like a rushing river—a cotton candy man is shoving his way through the yelling crowd, followed by a hawker of…
City Hangout – Seven Windows, Kaka Nagar
Time’s views. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Yellowing leaves are embedded within cobwebs, making the leaves look like they are hanging mid-air. The cobwebs are spread like the handwoven work of the most delicate filigree. Then there’s the…
City Hangout – Two Stalls and a Tree, Connaught Place
A perfect table for one. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is a red letterbox in Connaught Place (CP) that you must visit. But it’s not about the letterbox. Next to it is a lush banyan tree. But…
City Hangout – February Light, Hazrat Sarmad Shahid Sufi Shrine
Stones of light. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wall and the floor are covered with bright constellations — little stars and comets. But stretch as much as you can, fly as high as you want, you won’t…
City Hangout – Tulip Garden, Lodhi Gardens
Stuff of love songs. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A true artist never dies. Singer Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away a few days ago, continues to be an integral part of our daily life. Multiple generations of Hindi…
City Hangout – Sunset View, Shaheen Bagh
Evening show. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sky is daubed with many gradations of orange. Though the fading blue, ensconced further upwards, is doggedly lingering on, like powdery mist. Minutes pass. Imperceptibly, it all turns purplish pink…
City Hangout – Kaley Tea Stall, Near Turkman Gate
A homey tea house. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The air is foggy. It’s not the pollution, but the steam from piping hot chai boiling in a pan. This is an extremely buzzy tea house. And it’s extensive….
City Hangout – People Watching, Khan Market
Humans and dogs. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Look at the gentleman entering the pricey patisserie. Isn’t he the revisionist historian who creates frequent Twitter tornadoes? And now appears another familiar face (okay, mask!). This must be the…
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